Man&#39;s garment



Jan. 5, 1954 E. R. SUTTER MAN'S GARMENT Filed Oct. 20, 1951 INVEN TOR. Edam/MHZ 6282597;

Patented Jan. 5, 1954 MANS GARMENT Edward R. Sutter, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Beau- T-Form Foundations, Inc., a corporation of Illinois Application October 20, 1951, Serial No. 252,375

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a garment for wear next to the body and particularly to a man's body bracing undergarment.

A great number of foundation garments have been designed and made for women but little attention has been directed to the need for such a garment for men.

Many men, particularly in later life, require a garment capable of bracing the trunk of the body and giving it added support. The invention disclosed and claimed herein is concerned with such a mans garment.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide a new and improved mans body bracing undergarment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment having novel means for retaining its proper position relative to the wearer.

A further object is the provision of a full body length garment having means therein as an integral part of the garment for permitting access where needed, which portion of the garment is provided with means insuring against accidental opening.

A further object is the provision in a garment of the character described of a detachable anchor for the garment having a construction permitting considerable lateral expansion contributing to the comfort of the wearer.

Other advantages, features and objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front view of a garment embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view of the lower portion of the garment opened and with the supporter or anchor depending from its back supports; and

Fig. 3 is a back view of the garment.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, it is here shown and will hereinafter be described in a preferred embodiment. It is not necessarily intended, however, that the invention is to be limited thereby to the specific disclosure made. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within th spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The major portion of the body of the garment is constructed in accordance with the usual practice in foundation garments, of a strong material which ordinarily does not have any give or CAD 2 stretchability. Thus, in Fig. 1 of the drawings, front panels [0 and II of the garment may be made of a fairly strong cloth. Side panels l2 and [3 are made of similar cloth and extend in the lower portion along a seam l4 and i5, respectively,

adjacent the front panels In and I i. The upper portion of panels l2 and I3 curves under the armpit region toward the back of the garment and joins at seams I6 and 11, respectively, with back panels I8 and I9. A center back panel 20 also of similar material completes the unyieldable cloth portions of the garment.

In order to give the garment the requisite body bracing qualities, gussets of elastic material are inserted between the panels of unyieldable material. This, also, is in accordance with the usual practice in the manufacture of foundation garments. Thus it may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2 that triangular inserts 2| and 22 are inserted near the upper portion of the garment between panel I!) and I2 and also between panels I l and I 3. The triangular shaped gusset 22 is joined to the front panel II by a slidable fastener 23 in order that the garment may be loosened to aid in putting on and taking off the garment.

The side hip areas of the garment are constructed with elastic inserts 2t and 25 which have their lower edges generally in registry with the lower edges of the remaining portions of the garment. There is also a triangular gusset 25 of elastic material inserted in the center of the back panel 20. These elastic inserts between the other panels in the garment give it the requisite elasticity to provide support for the body of the wearer and at the same time sufiicient yieldability to provide comfort as well.

The garment of this invention is termed a full length garment in that the body portion thereof is of a size to extend from the area under the armpits of the wearer to a position covering the hips. Such a garment ordinarily has a tendency to creep with movement of the wearer in an upwardly direction with relation to the body. Adjustable shoulder straps 2'! and 23 are secured to tabs on the front and rear portions of the garment for maintaining the garment in its proper upward position. Each of the shoulder straps is provided with an elastic portion 2a and 30, respectively, to permit sufficient movement of the shoulders of the wearer relative to the body portion of the garment.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision of a means giving the wearer access to the interior of the garment. In this regard, the front center portion of the garment is provided with a trapezoidal shaped insert 3| having its lower edge slightly raised from the lower edge of the rest of the garment. The insert 3| is of elastic material to give lateral yieldability to the lower portion of the garment particularly when the wearer i in sitting position. Parting of the wearers legs may easily take place by stretching in the garment at the trapezoidal elastic insert, with the greatest give being at the lower edge because of the trapezoidal shape of the insert.

A slide fastener 32 is positioned to close the center portion of the insert 3| from the lower edge upwardly to a position slightly below the upper edge 34 of the insert. The closure 32 is provided with a separate slider 35 which closes the opening when it is in the lower position adjacent the lower edge 33. The operating handle 35 may lock the slide fastener in closed position if it is turned upwardly and held against the fastener. sure that the opening remains closed and is not accidentally opened, a small tab 31' is provided to fit over and hold the operating handle 35 against the garment. The tab is provided with a snap fastener 38 to positively hold it in position. Considerable stress is placed on the slide fastener, tending to part it when the wearer is in sitting position; however, the tab safety device prevents such action from taking place.

As mentioned above, the tendency of full length garments is to creep upwardly on the body of the wearer. The present invention provides a new and novel means for preventing such creeping action. Herein this means takes the form of an athletic type supporter which serves as an anchor for the garment. The supporter .has a body 60 formed of elastic material which has some stretchability in a lateral direction and corn siderable stretchability in a longitudinal direction. The front panel is of one piece construction and the rear portion is severed along a center longitudinal line with the resulting tabs 41 and 52 being crossed so as to provide end portions 3 and ill spaced from each other. All exposed edges of the supporter are taped and provided with textile stitching. When the supporter is in position on the garment it serves the dual purpose of supporting the parts of the wearer and also anchoring the garment in its proper position on the body of the wearer.

Means are provided for removably attaching the supporter 4E! to the body bracing garment. This means includes a number of snap fasteners on the front of the supporter which may be joined with mating halves on a tab 48 of unyieldable material sewn along a seam 4'! within the upper front portion of the garment. Similar snap fasteners 48 are provided on the rear edge portions 43 and M of the supporter for attachment to the rear panel 23 of the garment.

It will be noted that the supporter is attached to the garment a considerable distance above the lower edge thereof. The tab 46 is secured to the garment fabric portions and hangs downwardly so that its lower edge portion reposes at a location intermediate the ends of the slide fastener opening. For the purposes of holding down the garment, this tab 46 and the supporter may be considered as a unit when fastened together and perform this function by providing force on the portion of the garment to which the tab 48 is secured and the rear portion of the garment at the ends of the spaced tabs 4| and If the supporter were merely suspended from the bottom edge or the garment, it could not To in- 4- I of provide as much force downwardly thereon as is provided by the present construction. By utilizing the front fabric tab for attaching the supporter, it may be easily removed from the garment when desired without removing the garment from the person.

Another important feature of the particular supporter construction is the provision of considerable lateral yieldability built in the supporter. The r ar tabs 4| and 42 are crossed one over the other and are held in this position by a single line of stitching 49 along one of the inner edges of tab 44 and extending across the face of the tab 42. By providing only a single line of stitching 49, the tabs 4| and 42 are relatively free to move laterally with respect to each other. This yieldability is particularly important to provide comfort for the wearer when sitting.

I claim:

1. A body bracing undergarment for men, comprising: a fabric and elastic body portion of a length to cover the body trunk of a wearer; an athletic type supporter secured to the lower portion of the garment to extend between the front and rear of the garment and through the crotch of the wearer to anchor the garment in proper position on the body of the wearer; a trapezoidal shaped insert of elastic material positioned in the lower front portion of the garment with the larger base edge of the insert aligned with the lower edge of the garment to provide stretchability in the lower portion of the garment; a slide fastener mounted within the trapezoidal insert and extending upwardly on the garment from the lower edge thereof to provide access to the interior of the garment, said fastener having a manually operable handle adapted to lock the fastener in closed position when positioned against the fastener; and means for holding said fastener handle against the fastener comprising a tab secured to the garment to extend over said handle when the fastener is closed whereby the fastener may be locked in closed position to prevent accidental opening thereof.

2. A body bracing undergarment for men, comprising: a full length garment of fabric and elastic material adapted to cover the trunk of a wearer; means for anchoring the garment in proper position including an athletic type supi porter removably secured to the front and back of the garment to extend through the crotch of a wearer, said supporter being secured to fabric portions of the garment and inside both said front and back; an elastic insert in the lower front portion of the garment to provide stretchability across the front lower portion of the garment while retaining said bracing about the body of a man; closure means centrally mounted in the front lower portion of the garment to provide ccess to the supporter and to release said bracing action; and means for locking said closure in closed position against accidental opening and release of said body bracing action.

3. A body bracing undergarment for men, comprising: a full length garment of fabric and elastic material adapted to cover the trunk of a wearer; means for anchoring the garment in proper position including an athletic type supporter removably secured to the front and back of the garment to extend through the crotch of a wearer, said supporter being formed of a single strip of elastic material having a front panel continuous across the supporter and a rear portion centrally divided longitudinally forming a pair of tabs crossed one over the other with the free ends thereof spaced apart, said tabs being joined by Stitching along only one edge of one tab to the face of the other tab with said one edge being nearest said front panel whereby lateral movement of the tabs relative to each other is permitted; and fasteners at the free ends of said supporter for removably securing the supporter to the inside of the garment at the front and back.

4. A body bracing undergarment for men, comprising: a fabric and elastic body portion of a length to cover the body trunk of a wearer; and an athletic type supporter at the lower end of the body portion adapted to extend through the crotch of the wearer to anchor the garment in proper position, said supporter being formed of a single piece of elastic-type material having a front panel secured at its free end inside the front of said body portion, the rear panel of said supporter being divided longitudinally to form separate tabs each with means at its free end for securing said free ends inside the back of said body portion, said tabs being crossed and joined together only along the inner margin of one tab that extends across the adjacent face of the other tab whereby said tabs are relatively free to move laterally with respect to each other.

5. A body bracing under garment for men, comprising: a fabric body portion having a plurality of elastic material inserts therein and adapted to extend about the body from below the armpits to a position over the hips of a wearer; closure means in the front lower portion of the garment extending from the lower edge thereof upwardly of the garment to provide access to the interior thereof; a fabric tab secured to the inside of the garment above the terminal end of the closure means and having a free lower edge intermediate the ends of the closure means; an athletic type supporter removably attached to the lower portion of said fabric tab and secured to the inner rear portion of the garment above the lower edge thereof, said supporter being adapted to extend through the crotch of the wearer to maintain the garment in proper position on the body of the wearer and said closure means providing access to the front of the sup-porter for removal thereof while the garment is being worn.

6. A body bracing under garment for men, comprising: a fabric and elastic body portion adapted to extend about the body of a wearer from below the armpits to a position over the hips of the wearer; a polygonal shaped insert of elastic material in the lower front portion of the garment to provide lateral stretchability about the hip region; a slide fastener positioned centrally within the elastic insert and extending from the lower edge thereof upwardly of the garment to provide an opening for access to the interior of the garment; a fabric tab secured to the front inner portion of the garment above the terminal end of the fastener and having a depending portion with a free lower edge intermediate the ends of the slide fastener; and means for anchoring the garment on the body of the wearer comprising an athletic type supporter having means on the front portion thereof for removably securing the supporter to the lower portion of said fabric tab, said means securing the supporter to said fabric tab being accessible from outside the garment upon opening said slide fastener, said supporter being removably secured at its rear end to the inner rear portion of the garment at a position above the lower edge of the garment and adapted to extend through the crotch of the wearer to anchor the garment.

7. A body bracing undergarment for men, comprising: a full length garment of fabric and elastic material adapted to cover the trunk of a wearer from under the armpits to over the hips; shoulder straps attached to the upper portion of the garment; means for anchoring the garment in proper position on the body of the wearer including an athletic type supporter secured to the front and back of the garment and extending therebetween to be positioned through the crotch of the wearer; means providing stretchability in the lower front portion of the garment to permit lateral relative movement of the lower side portions thereof while maintaining said body bracing action; closure means positioned in the lower front portion of the garment to provide access to the interior of the garment and to the front secured portion of said supporter; and locking means for maintaining the closure against accidental opening and releasing of said body bracing action while on the body of a wearer.

8. A body bracing under garment for men, comprising: a fabric and elastic body portion adapted to extend about the body of a wearer from below the armpits to a position over the hips of the wearer, the lower portion of the garment extending around the hips and upper thighs of the wearer; closure means in the front lower portion of the garment extending from the lower edge thereof upwardly of the garment to provide access to the interior thereof; garment hold-down means attached to the inside front and rear portions of the garment and extending through the crotch of the wearer; and means removably securing the front of said hold-down means to the garment at a position intermediate the ends of said closure means whereby the hold-down means is accessible for manual release from the garment by the wearer upon opening said closure.

EDWARD R. SUTTER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,091,052 Neilson Aug. 24, 1937 2,107,121 Kops Feb. 1, 1938 2,466,867 Rosner Apr. 12, 1949 2,503,636 Rockwell Apr. 11, 1950 2,553,036 Christensen May 15, 1951 

